James, Penelope and the Giant Peach
by judygumm
Summary: In this version of "James and the Giant Peach." I have always imagined what the movie would be like with a gypsy. It really completes the story. Penelope is inspired by Esmeralda from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
1. The Start of our Adventure

James, Penelope and the Giant Peach

By judygumm

Here is my very first story inspired by "James, Dana and the Giant Peach" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" I thought of making my character a gypsy with dancing and singing from the 1956 version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" even the Disney version and the 1939 version. I knew the time period was in the 1940's.

P.S. I do not own "James and the Giant Peach" or "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" I only own Penelope. I hope you enjoy the chapter one in my first story. Happy Trails!

Chapter 1: The Start of our Adventure.

Penelope's point of view:

"Quick James! Don't stop!" I cried.

I guess you are curious why we are in a hurry. Before we get into things, let me tell you more about myself. My name is Penelope and I am a gypsy girl. I have known James when he was born and we have a strong friendship. My parents were both gypsies and they were always traveling around the country looking for a place to stay with their caravan. No one would take them in, but James's parents let them stay on their land and became good friends. Until I was 11 years old, my parents died of an illness and I had no other family, so I lived with James and his parents and they were so kind to me, just like my parents. In 1947, it was James's 7th birthday and Mr. and Mrs. Trotter were going to take us to New York City and go to the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building where dreams come true. Suddenly James's parents were killed by a rhino, and we were forced to live with Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker up in a small rundown house on the top of a hill in England. We have to everything they told us to do and they would beat the living daylights out of us and spoil our dreams. I have always dreamed of talking back to them but I never found the courage. The aunts called the gypsies filthy rats and it was such an insult to me and the other gypsies. Yesterday when James and I were taking a break from chopping wood. James was looking through the New York brochure his father gave him and the aunts snatched it and told us that's what got James's mother and father killed. After ripping it up they snapped at us to get back to work.

I am 14 years old with olive skin, an oval face with long wavy black hair that trembles to my waist. I am petite and slender with an hourglass figure and I have bright green eyes. I'm clothed in an old lavender nightdress with stitches and patches on the skirt. James is 7 years old and he has fair skin with a round face with short auburn hair, slender and has big brown eyes. He's clothed in dark blue and white pajamas.

It all started on a very early morning. James and I saved a spider from our bedroom window, Sponge and Spiker tried to kill it and we got out of the house to help the spider escape. James carried the spider in his hands and we both reached a brick wall and James laid down his hand so the spider could climb through the hole in the wall and watch it leave.

"Go on, get out of here! Get as far away from this place as you possibly can!" James said to the spider.

I stood behind him and rested my hand on his shoulder and we exactly had the same wish and said, "Oh how I wish we could leave."

"What's stopping you?" a voice said and we looked up and spotted a strange older man seated on the old brick wall. He had long black hair and he is dressed in very dark clothes, with hundreds of clocks dangling from his jacket, and wore grey gloves without a sheath to warm his fingers. The old man said calmly to us, "Oh don't be frightened, James. I mean you and Penelope no harm."

James asked him, "How do you know my name and Penelope's name?" The old man grinned and said, "I know more than just your name and Penelope's name. What would you both say if I were to tell you that the answer for all your troubles is right here in this bag?"

He took out a wrinkled paper bag from behind his back and were we both surprised. Just last night we drew ourselves flying to New York City on the potato chip bag and we reshaped it to a lantern. How in the world did he get it back? I cried, "Hey, that's our lantern we made-"

The old man replied earnestly, "Of course it is! Go on, have a look you two."

We looked inside and there is a whole bunch of green crystal-like creatures squirming around in the bag and squeaked like rats. "There's more magic in them things than in all the rest of the world put together." Replied the old man.

"But what are they?" James asked.

The old man replied, "Crocodile tongues."

"Tongues?" I asked curiously.

He told us that the crocodile tongues were created by an old witch and said that marvelous things would happen so we will never be unhappy again. He explained that New York City is closer than we think and sometimes we have to take the first step even if it frightens us. Just as James was about to take the bag, the old man told us not to let them escape and we both understood and nodded and he vanished.

All of a sudden we heard our aunts calling us and we both started to run back to the house. But James tripped over a branch and the crocodile tongues were released from the bag and they were going underground. We tried to grab them but they went deep into the soil. Then the horrible aunts spotted us and were about to bring us back into the house for punishment and all of a sudden they saw a peach on the old peach tree. I helped James climb up to the tree to retrieve the peach when all of a sudden, the peach started to grow like a ball! I had to bring James down and we watched with astonished eyes as the peach continues to grow more gigantic. When it finally stopped growing, the peach was humongous! Then I saw the greedy look on Sponge and Spiker's faces and they said it smells like money!

By around noon, many people came to see the giant peach surrounded by a tall wooden fence so no one would eat the peach and get close to it. We got dressed to meet the people. I wanted to sing and dance to keep the people entertained. However the aunts locked us up in our bedroom so we wouldn't get out and leave. I watched James looking out of the window and I noticed tears dribbling out from his eyes. I walked over to him and I wrapped my arms around him.

"Never lose hope James, someday we will leave and run far away." I said to him and I used my handkerchief to dry the tears from his eyes and I came up with something to cheer him up. "When was the last time I sang a song to you?" I asked him.

I went over to my ragged bed and grabbed my mother's tambourine, I thought of which song to sing and I came up with a song Mama used to sing to me. "Remember the song Someday?" I asked James warmly. James smiled and said, "Yes, can you sing it to me?" "I will." I replied.

So I played my tambourine and sang in my high soprano voice: "_Someday, when we are wiser, when the world's older, when we have learned, I pray. Someday we may yet live. To live and let live, someday life will be fairer, need will be rarer greed will not pay. Godspeed this bright millennium. On its way let it come Someday. Someday our fight will be won then we'll stand in the sun then that bright afternoon till then. On days when the sun is gone, we'll hang on wish upon the moon. There are some days dark and bitter. Seems we haven't got a prayer. But a prayer for something better is the one thing we all share. Someday when we are wiser, when the whole world is older when we have love. And I pray someday we may yet live and one day. Someday life will be fairer, need will be rarer greed will not pay. Godspeed this bright millennium. Let it come, if we wish upon the moon, one day, someday, soon."_

I sang the song to him until the sun went down and all the people went home.

I can tell what you're thinking but I do not own "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" but I really love the music from the Disney version and "Someday" is from the credits. Please read and review. I will delete bad comments and reviews. Chapter 2 will be up soon! Gotta go! I made a revised story.


	2. Meeting New Friends

James, Penelope and the Giant Peach

By judygumm

Here is Chapter 2, I still don't own "James and The Giant Peach" I only own Penelope. Enjoy Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Meeting New Friends

Penelope's Point of view:

Later in the evening, Aunt Sponge called to us, "Yoo-hoo! Come down here!" As we came down we were wearing our special clothes, James is wearing a bluish-black coat, tan shorts, black shoes with black dress knee socks, a white collared shirt with buttons, and a multi-colored tie. I am dressed in a long dark purple dress, with a white shirt with puffed short sleeves, a black sweetheart bodice with black lacing in the back, around my waist is a silver pouch holding special items on my left side and my Papa's dagger on my right side, black sandals, silver dangling earrings, my mama's silver necklace with an amethyst pendant in the shaped of an oval, a silver ring with an amethyst gem on the ring finger and my black hair is pulled back with a purple ribbon as a headband.

"Yes Auntie Sponge?" Asked James.

"Is there anything you need Mistress?" I asked.

"Ooohhh, both of you are all spiffed up!" Said Aunt Sponge admiring the clothes we are wearing. She and Spiker are wearing their robes counting the money they got today and Spiker is smoking a cigarette and both of them are still wearing their makeup.

"I was hoping to play with the other children." Said James.

"I was hoping to sing and dance to keep the guests entertained." I said to the aunts.

Sponge and Spiker looked at each other and said together, "Awww."

"The children and the guests have gone." Said Aunt Spiker.

We looked at each other from eye to eye glumly and we knew what those wicked aunts are going to make us do.

"But you can play with their garbage!" Said Spiker as she gave me and James two wooden sticks.

Aunt Sponge laughed and smirked, "Heh, heh, heh! Garbage. Heh, heh, heh!"

As we took two baskets with our sticks, Aunt Spiker warned us, "And don't you two think of going near our peach."

" 'Cause if you do, remember, they never did catch that rhino." Said Sponge as she and her Sister laughed off and kept counting their money and we got outside and started to clean up the garbage.

When James and I cleaned the garbage, I felt horrible for myself and James living in this miserable life with those two stupid, ugly, and wicked aunts. If it wasn't for the disease that killed Mama and Papa, they would have still been alive today, and we would have took James in with us and he would have been happy.

As we cleaned up, James picked up the bag that used to hold to the crocodile tongues and two of the tongues scattered toward the peach and we chased them.

James cried, "No! Wait a moment!"

I called out, "Don't leave us!"

We tried to grab them but they got away. We sighed deeply and I walked towards the peach and I strongly inhaled the scent. I turned to James and examined the area to see that Sponge and Spiker were around and they weren't. I said to him, "Let's eat a little bit from this peach."

James with worried look said, "I don't think this is a good idea Penelope, what if our aunts spot us?"

I said to him firmly, "They are still inside the house, they may not notice that we did eat this peach. If they did notice, I will pretend that I wanted to consume the peach and pay for it with my life and I must accept the punishment they would give me. I made a vow to your parents and my Mama and Papa to keep you safe. No matter how hard it is and besides we haven't eaten something fresh for months. So are you hungry for something special?"

James knew that it was true that we were hungry and he moved his head up and down as a sign of yes.

So I used my hands to grab a huge piece of the peach and used my dagger to cut it into two equal halves I gave the other half to James and my mouth started to feel a little moist. We did not notice that the two crocodile tongues leaped into our halves and we bit into the chunks and it felt so refreshing. After we gulped, a hole popped up at the bottom of the peach and the glow was bright green. We dropped our peach chunks and we removed our cleaning tools and we bent down on our knees and took a look in the hole.

James said to me excitedly, "I think we should go in!"

I felt uneasy about the hole, "I'm not sure so James, it looks like a bad idea."

James begged politely, "Please Penelope! Let's a least have a look."

I knew his curiosity would not give up and I said "Well okay, let's see what's in there."

James came in first and I came in behind him and we did not notice that the hole behind us vanished. We kept crawling through the tunnel and I felt prickles on my skin as we kept crawling and heard a female voice with a Scottish accent asking, " 'Ere, now. Where do think you're goin', Yank?"

A male voice with a Brooklyn accent spoke, "I'm goin' stir-crazy. I gotta take a look around. Plan our escape from Spiker and Sponge."

Another male voice with an English accent said, "Escape? To where? We'll all be squashed… swatted… smooshed!"

As we got closer to where the voices are coming from, there was this screen and we saw a silhouette that looked like almost like a person but he was very different and said calmly with a deep formal British accent, "No one's going to _smoosh_ you, my dear boy. You're six feet long now."

Another silhouette that looked like a giant snake wearing glasses said glumly, "Bigger target."

The silhouette with the Brooklyn accent said, "Let the biddies come. I'll take 'em both on. I'm "indefeatable." I'm indivisible. I'm…"

James leaned in so close that he fell through the screen and broke it and landed in the room as he screamed, "Woah!"

The thing with the Brooklyn accent cried out, "-in trouble!"

James landed on the monsters and I fell through the screen and I landed on the ground on my side. I got to my feet and grabbed my dagger for protection and searched for James nervously! I felt the snake touching my back and I jumped and pointed my dagger at him and yelled, "Don't touch me or I will cut you to pieces!"

He cried out, "IT'S SPIKER AND SPONGE! THEY FOUND US!"

I spotted James and he is really scared and pale. When I reached him a lantern swung towards us and a another female monster in the lantern with a British accent yelled, "Hello!" We were both hit by the lantern and fell to the ground and I tried to keep him calm and I kept pointing my dagger to the monsters.

The monster with the British accent said calmly when he could see us in the bright light, "No, no, no! It's the lad and the gypsy girl from the house. What are their names?"

The thing with the Brooklyn accent said to us rudely, "Miserable ticks!"

The snake said, "I thought it was rotten little grubs!"

All of a sudden another monster flew towards us and said with a Scottish accent, "No that's what those horrible aunts call them. Their real names are- well it's eh, eh-?"

When we backed up to a wall a giant monster came down from nowhere and replied with a French accent "It's James and Penelope."

"Eek!" I screamed and James shrieked "Aaah!"

We both screamed and fell back to the corner of the wall and the monsters walked closer to us.

The monster with the Scottish accent said, "Now look what you've done now, miss. Scared the two to death."

The monsters leaned in to us closer and I felt my heart beating faster and faster and James cried out timidly, "Please, Don't eat us!" I held out my dagger in front of me and James. I felt prepared to die and I yelled to the monsters, "Don't you dare touch us you monsters!"

"Eat you?" Asked the monster with the Scottish accent, "Us monsters?" With her jaw dropping, the monsters started to laugh, I did not know why they laughed about eating us and the thing with the Brooklyn accent called out, "Hey Glowworm turn up your lights!"

After the light turned on, they were not monsters, they were giant insects. The one with the British accent was a towering, elderly dark green grasshopper clothed in a black coat, a white dress shirt, light grey pants, and white shoes with a monocle on his right eye. The snake creature was a blind light brown earthworm and he has black glasses over his eyes, with a white collar, and a red bow. The figure with the Brooklyn accent is a yellow-orange centipede with blue eyes, with a cigar in his mouth and he is clothed in a white shirt, a flat green cap, brown overalls, and he has brown boots on his feet. There is a ladybug with a Scottish accent wearing a bright red hat with a black ribbon with white dots and a flower, black hair, a spotted top over her light blue dress, she has blue skin with black dress shoes and she is holding a red purse. The female spider who has the French accent had a white face with four green eyes with her black hair in a bob, a white and black striped abdomen with a roll of thread, tall black boots at the end of her six legs, black gloves on her hands, with a light green bandana around her neck and a dark blue beret. There was also a glowworm in a lantern with white hair, pale blue skin, a brown dress with a grey twisted shawl with a plastic sun, ruby earrings, she has a light bulb on her tail and she is holding a pair of spectacles.

The grasshopper replied, "I'm a vegetarian."

The earthworm said, "I eat dirt."

The spider said to us calmly as she smiled at me and James, "No one will be eating you or Penelope, James."

Centipede bumped into her and swung her around and he said to us, "Yeah, she'll puncture your heads and suck out the brains."

Ms. Spider swung back to him with an angry face, "That I am saving for you."

Ms. Spider tried to hit Centipede but he slipped under her and ended up behind her and said "Woah! Pretty fast, long legs!"

She angrily turned around and hissed at him causing to go up the ladder and jumped out of his skin, "Oh-oo-oo!"

"Oh! Such rude behavior!" Said Mrs. Ladybug as she frowned and she turned to James and smiled as she kindly wiped the dirt off of James's face with her handkerchief and she wiped the dirt off of my face too and she told us kindly, "There's nothing to be frightened of dearies." I cried out with astonishment and I was filled with shock, "But you're enormous bugs!" Mr. Grasshopper replied to me as he smiled, "Fascinating, isn't it?"

As Mrs. Ladybug dug into her purse she said "We've all changed, and so did you James and Penelope." She pulled out a mirror and we were no longer our real selves but we turned into china doll like people. James took the mirror and looked at himself and said, "The old man who gave us the green things, he said marvelous things will happen." Glowworm asked "Did he say marvelous pigs in satin?" Mr. Grasshopper said to Glowworm, "No my dear lady." Mrs Ladybug handed him a megaphone and called to her, "Marvelous things will happen." "Is she all right?" I asked Mr. Grasshopper filled up with curiosity, He exhaled and said, "Poor Glowworm, she's a little deaf".

Earthworm said proudly, "I, however, have exquisite hearing." Then Centipede said "Yeah? Well listen to this." He made whoopee cushion sounds with his arms and he took the megaphone and shouted in an ear-piercing voice. "LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"

"You mean leave the hill?" Asked James, "We can't! The rhino will get us!"

"Rhino?" Earthworm got scared and hid himself in a giant glove with his long tail still outside.

Mr. Grasshopper said to James, "I say, dear boy, I lived on this miserable hill for decades. There are no rhinoceri here."

Centipede said to us, "Except for Sponge. She's twice as big as a rhino, eh, kids?"

We started to laugh at that funny joke and I knew it is true that Sponge is like a rhino.

Ms. Spider crawled on her web and replied "And twice as dangerous. My life hangs by a thread every day."

"I've had to send all 300 hundred of me children to safer pastures." Said Mrs. Ladybug.

Earthworm popped his head out of the glove and said, "Hah! You think hiding in solid rock is fun?"

"I can't even remember what fun is." Said James.

I replied, "Same here."

Centipede said to us, "Well, it's just 'cause you two've been stuck here for too long. Listen to me, kids, I know of a place that'll refresh your memory."

Centipede leaped onto Glowworm's lantern and swung around as he sings, _"Bright lights, big city; that's were we gotta go!"_ He leaped off the lantern and went back to us. "_Where the food is great and the bugs are so pretty; I'd like to get my arms around a hundred or so!"_ He danced with Mrs. Ladybug and spun her around,_ "I'd hug 'em, squeeze 'em, hold 'em tight!"_ After throwing Earthworm on Mrs. Ladybug, He grabbed me around the waist and I landed on my feet, he spun me around in a fast circle and I felt dizzy and giddy as I spun on my watched him do backward somersaults and he landed in Ms. Spider's web. _"Sleep all day, dance all night! I want the bright lights and the big city: that's the life for me, yeah! That's the life for…"_

After landing in the web, Ms. Spider ignited Centipede's cigar, _"You little maggot!" S_he outlined a crescent moon, _"Have you never seen the moon gliding 'cross the western sky?"_ She then drew a dead oak tree, _"_A_ dead oak tree by the waterside? Putrid vapors rising…" _She gusted some of the smoke and she exhaled it out into the air. James and I started to hack.

Mrs. Ladybug spoke and sang "That sounds lovely dear. I'm sure we all agree. _But I prefer the sunshine, a little park right in the center of the town… Flowers everywhere, children all around me: I'd love it! Landing a baby's cheek so warm… it's wonderful, wonderful! That's the life for me… that's the life for me… that's the life, that's the life for me…"_

As Glowworm sang with Mrs. Ladybug, she threw out some flowers from her purse and tossed them up and kept a white flower for James to sniff. I grinned and Mrs. Ladybug put a red flower in my black hair and she threw a cane and a tall hat to Mr. Grasshopper and he caught them. He walked down the steps and every time Centipede interrupts him.

Mr. Grasshopper sings _"Elegant conversation…" _

Centipede cuts in _"Bright lights, big city…"_

Mr. Grasshopper sings _"Intellectual stimulation…"_

_"That's easy for you."_ Sang Centipede

Mr. Grasshopper hands the hat to James _"And someone you love to share it with you!"_

They kept singing and dancing. _"And it would be wonderful, wonderful. That's the life for me!"_

Earthworm asked, "You call that a life?"

_"That's the life for me!" _They sang.

Earthworm said, "It's no pile of dirt."

Everyone sang, _"That's the life, that's the life, that's the life for-"_

All of a sudden, a voice shouted, "Where are you hiding scamps?" It was Aunt Sponge and all of us were silent.

Centipede walked straight over to the ladder and before he disappeared he said mischievously and laughed, "Hup! Time to go make a pest of myself! Heh-heh!"

I got very frightened by Sponge and Spiker. Spiker called out, "Where are you, detestable little worms?"

Earthworm shrieked and fainted.

James cried, "Not you! US!"

Aunt Sponge called out, "You better not be near our peach!"

"Oh please! Don't let them spray us!" cried Mrs. Ladybug.

I said to her calmly as I held her hand gently, "It won't happen to you at all."

"Spray us?" Cried Earthworm. "They'll see the Yank up there and come after us with a shovel! It happened to my brother!"

"How awful!" cried James and Earthworm finished his story in a nutshell, "Split him right down the middle. Now I have two half brothers!"

"Shh! They'll hear us!" whispered Mr. Grasshopper.

Now I'm really scared. I wished we weren't in their peach and we're going to be punished when we get caught. I felt my body tensed up, and my heart started to beat faster. I felt two hands on my shoulders helping me calm down. I turned around and it was Mr. Grasshopper, he must have realized how worried I was and it was the first time I have received comfort from a kind adult for a long time.

He hugged me close and I rested my head against his chest and heard his heart beating against my ear. "Don't worry Penelope, we will protect you and James from your aunts." He said gently while one of his hands gently stroked my long black hair.

I looked into his kind eyes and said sweetly "Thank you. You are very kind."

I did not want those cruel aunts to get us. They always beat us starve us, insult us, and they never regretted being cruel to us. James walked over to me and he rested his head against my chest and I wrapped my arms around him for comfort. "I'm frightened of our aunts." Said James. I looked into his sweet brown eyes and said, "So am I."

My green eyes turned up to where Centipede ascended outside and I prayed, "Please be careful Centipede. Don't get spotted by our aunts."

Whoo! That ends Chapter 2 with some lines from the movie makes it long. I hope you enjoy this chapter I will have chapter 3 up soon!


	3. Escape From the Hill to Freedom

James, Penelope and the Giant Peach

By judygumm

I'm back and Chapter 3 is ready. I hope you enjoy it! I don't own "James and the Giant Peach" I only own Penelope. I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter 3: Escape From the Hill to Freedom

Penelope's Point of View:

As we waited for something to happen, I wondered what in the world is Centipede up to? Then we heard some chewing and it broke the stem of the peach and everything and everyone started to tilt. I wrapped my arms around James and held him tightly and Centipede jumped backed in. James asked him, "What's that?"

Centipede said, "Fasten your seat belts kids!"

I asked, "What's going on?"

Earthworm cried "Wha-wha-wha- what have you done?"

I felt sick in my stomach and I replied, "I don't feel so good!"

Centipede said to me, "Relax little bird! We'll be fine!"

The peach started to roll on top of Sponge and Spiker when they tried to start up their car and escape and the peach squished the car. The peach started accelerating down the hill. I was still holding on to James and I screeched and pray that we will survive. Then the peach was in the air and it fell downwards into the water making a huge splatter. Everything was black and I could not see.

I heard some groans and everyone was tangled up and I was on the floor lying flat on my stomach and I felt something slimy wrapped around my waist and when my hand touched it, it was Earthworm and he thought he was being attacked and screamed, "Help! I'm being attacked!" He quickly squeezed around my waist as if I were wearing a corset. I felt I was going to pass out and I cried out, "I can't breathe!" Earthworm realized it was me and he loosed himself and I can breathe again. I crawled over to the wall and rested my back. "Sorry Penelope, I thought you were the Grasshopper." Said Earthworm. "Not at all Earthworm." I said as I reached the wall, "It's all good."

I heard James said, "Where are we?" I heard Earthworm yelled, "Ow! Somebody pinched me!" Centipede responded, "Sorry. I thought you were the Spider." I heard Ms. Spider hit back Centipede back but what I heard was Earthworm gasping, "Ouch! What was that?" Ms. Spider said apologetically, "Excuse. I thought you were the Centipede." Centipede called out, "Hey Glowworm, how about some light?" Glowworm replied while trying to get her light on, "I can't hear you, dear. I'll have to put my light on."

The light turned to green and I saw the whole group tangled up and I saw Mrs. Ladybug lying on her back moving her arms and legs as a normal sized ladybug would do and cried out, "Oh! Oh! This is so un-ladybug-like!" I saw James walking over to Mrs. Ladybug and helped her up to her feet. "Don't worry. I'll have you right-side up in no time." Mrs. Ladybug smiled "Thank you, James." She asked James as he walked to the ladder, "Where are you going?" James responded politely as he climbed the ladder, "To see where we've landed." I stood up and climbed after him, "I'll come with you too."

He opened the peach hole and there was a bright blue sky with seagulls flying around. James cried out "Woah" and climbed up on the peach stem and I cried in astonishment "Oh my!" It was the beautiful blue, salty, and calm ocean. I turned around and saw the others crawl out and they were all so amazed by the sight of the ocean. Mr. Grasshopper asked me, "Ohh! Fascinating isn't it?" "Yes it is. I feel like we're free for the first time in forever." I replied to him. Earthworm came next and asked in a worried voice "What? What's so fascinating tell me? Don't leave me dangling." Ms. Spider came next and Centipede followed after her. Ms. Spider said in amazement, "We're in the middle of the… How do you say? The big puddle." Centipede pops up and said to Ms. Spider "The biggest puddle of them all, Angel Fangs: the Atlantic Ocean." Mr. Grasshopper commented that the Pacific Ocean is larger. Earthworm asked if there was land in sight. Mrs. Ladybug said "Nothing but blue skies and clear waters." Earthworm made a grunt and said angrily to Centipede, "This is all your fault!" Centipede shot back at him, "Hey! Wasn't for me, we'd all be Spiked and Sponged by now!" I knew Centipede is right that Sponge and Spiker didn't get us and if they did they would skin all of us.

Ms. Spider asked James about the old man who gave us his green things if he spoke to us about to where we are going. James said, "No, All he said was the answers would be right here." James felt something in his coat pocket and he pulled his brochure of New York. I was surprised and I thought Sponge and Spiker tore it to pieces. I felt my pouch grew bigger and I pulled out my tambourine! I thought I left it in the old room. James and I looked in his brochure and we saw the peach sailing on the Atlantic Ocean from London to our star destination: New York City! I felt my heart beat faster. James cried out "We're going to New York City!" Centipede cried out, "New York! They love me there." James explained to each of the bugs and Centipede cried out what James meant, he said to Mrs. Ladybug, "A park full of leaves for you Mrs. Ladybug." "Oh" she exclaimed. Centipede blurted out "Central Park!" He said to Ms. Spider as she smiled, ""And loads of dark hiding places." Centipede interrupts, "Nightclubs!" James said to Mr. Grasshopper, "And museums and concerts." Centipede reply "Not to mention Yankee Stadium." Earthworm asked, "What about me?" James said to Earthworm. "Why, they've got miles and miles of underground tunnels!" Earthworm smiled and Centipede said, "The subway." Now I can get my wish to join the New York City Ballet Company where I can dance and join Broadway and become an actress, singer, and dancer. I can even talk about gypsy culture and tell fortunes. James said that his father told him it's the city where dreams come true and after everyone sang, "That's the life for me!" Mr. Grasshopper asked how do we get to New York. Centipede said that he sailed the five seas and traveled around the world. Mr. Grasshopper corrected him that there are seven seas. He asked the bugs to do his orders to trim the sails and stoke the engines. They said they don't have any and he complained that he can't work with the miserable crew.

They all thought of how they would die in the sea and I didn't want to hear it.

I noticed James was watching the sky and saw the sea gulls flying in the air. He spoke up his face brightening, "I know! We could…" Then his face turned glum. "No, it's a stupid idea." "What is it?" I asked James. Mr. Grasshopper also asked him, "Compared to what?" James said, "Well, we could fly out." Centipede agreed with James, "He's right. It's stupid." Mrs. Ladybug asked James, "How would you do it, James?" James answered as he looked up at the seagulls, "With those seagulls, but we'll need string." Ms. Spider said as she pulled some string from her abdomen, "I have string. Miles of string." I finished up the plan with the solution, "And we'll need bait. Bird bait." Earthworm asked as Centipede, Mr. Grasshopper, and Mrs. Ladybug circled around him, "Bird bait? Where do you expect we're gonna find bird bait out here in the middle of the…" He stopped talking as Mrs. Ladybug pulled out a cowbell from her purse and it clanged, Earthworm said as he turned around said with a scared tone in his voice, "The… Oh, no! No, no! Have you lost your minds?" They grabbed Earthworm and wrapped the bell around his neck.

James and Centipede stayed with him to keep him calm. I came down with the others and we waited inside the peach to hear what would happen. I heard Earthworm refusing to wiggle and Centipede tickled Earthworm's sides and he laughed and rang the bell and I heard James yelled, "Pull!" The others and I pulled hard on Earthworm's body down. I heard James said excitedly, "It worked! I caught one!" I called out to him "Wonderful James!" Out victory was cut short because Earthworm said, "Shh! I hear teeth. Great, big, gnashing teeth!" I crawled out with Mr. Grasshopper to see what was going on. "It sounds like a rhinoceros!" I exclaimed. Mr. Grasshopper said calmly, "In the ocean? Uh, scientifically impossible." A whirlpool appeared and it started to suck in a school of tuna. Mr. Grasshopper handed James his monocle and he took a look in it and he exclaimed, "It's a giant shark!"

The giant mechanical shark spitted out plates with tuna heads. It was just like the food Sponge and Spiker gave us back at the old house and it was disgusting! Then the shark started to swim towards us. Centipede wrapped his arms around James and shook him and cried, "What do we do?" James said that the seagulls are our only chance. I heard Ms. Spider tore down her web and tossed it to Mrs. Ladybug. I grabbed the net and handed it to James. Centipede picked up Earthworm and spun him in the air and I saw the whole flock of seagulls flying down towards Earthworm. After Centipede jumped down the hole with Earthworm, James and I tossed the net and we caught all of the seagulls. Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede came out and help us tie the strings around the seagulls' necks. They released the net and the seagulls that are tied up flew up and I felt the peach being lifted up in the air. I thought we were going to get away from the shark but he shot an arrow at us and it pierced through the peach and the stone and as it pulled back on the peach and Centipede fell forward on the cord. Then sharp scissors like sharks were shot at us and James turned the stem but one of the sharp things cut some of the strings and a few seagulls were flying away. James hopped on Mr. Grasshopper's back and they jumped up and grabbed the strings and the shark shot two more of those sharp scissor sharks and I heard them both scream "Help!" Then Mrs. Ladybug crawled out of the peach and flew in the air and used her purse to hit the sharp scissor sharks. They both landed and James tied the strings with the seagulls back on the stem.

We cheered on the seagulls and Ms. Spider grabbed a hammer and started to pound on the hook so we could escape. Centipede was almost near the mouth of the shark and like a chicken he ran up the wire and Centipede reached the wooden fence pathway just in the nick of time as Ms. Spider slammed the arrow and as Centipede ran up the pathway, the arrow went in the shark's mouth and it started to break down and blew up into to pieces. We all applauded and Centipede jumped on the pathway and shouted, "Teach ya to mess with me, ya overgrown sardine! I'm from Brooklyn!" I cracked up about Centipede's Joke and Mr. Grasshopper started to make a speech of what every bug displayed with extraordinary courage, "Why, did you see Ms. Ladybug risk life and wing to bash those brutes on the snoot?" Mrs. Ladybug replied, "Well, they were being very rude. I can't abide rudeness." Ms. Spider turned to James and said, "We are all forgetting something. Everything we did was a part of the brilliant plan of James." James asked, "It really did work didn't it?" I came up to James and I lifted him up and hugged him and said, "I knew you would figure out something to save our lives. I am very impressed!" Mr. Grasshopper called out, "I say three cheers for James. Hip hip…" "Hooray!" said Earthworm and Centipede. Mr. Grasshopper said for the second time, "Hip hip…" Then Glowworm and Mrs. Ladybug cried in joy, "Hooray!" Mr. Grasshopper said one last time "Hip hip…" and everyone yelled "Hooray!" So Centipede walked to the stem and called out "New York!" He spitted every hand and turned the stem and yelled, "Here we come!" And we flew into the air.

After we were in the air we decided to rest to get our energy to make it New York City. I sat on the edge of the fence pathway and I sang another song I remembered when I was little. It was a song of about God giving justice to the gypsies. _"I don't know if You can hear me, or if You're even there. I don't know if You would listen to a humble prayer. They tell me I am just an outcast. I shouldn't speak to You. Still I see Your face and wonder, were You once an outcast too? God help the outcasts, hungry from birth. Show them the mercy they don't find on earth. The lost and forgotten, they look to You still, God help the outcasts, or nobody will. I ask for nothing, I can get by. But I know so many less lucky than I. God help the outcasts, the poor and down trod I thought we all were the children of God. I don't know if there's a reason why some are blessed, some not. Why the few you seem to favor, they fear us, flee us, try not to see us, God help the outcasts, the tattered, the torn, seeking an answer to why they were born. Winds of misfortune have them about. You made the outcasts don't cast them out. The poor, and unlucky, the weak and the odd, I thought we all were the children of God." _

As I finished my singing, I heard some one applauding me and I turned my head and it was Mrs. Ladybug. She must have heard my singing as if I were a siren luring her down. She said, "My what a beautiful voice you have and a such a beautiful song there Penelope." I blushed and said, "Oh thank you. It was a song Mama sang and taught me when I was a little girl." She sat next to me and noticed the tambourine in my lap. She asked me, "What is this circular thing in you lap? It looks like a musical instrument."

"Yes" I said to her. "It's a tambourine, before James and I were born, my mother would play this tambourine to play music and dance to entertain people, and earn money. When she met my father, they would play music and dance together. Then the Trotters let them stay on their land when they couldn't find a place to stay in their caravan. Then I came along and when I turned seven on my birthday, they gave me the tambourine to play and sing. When I feel worried or upset, I would sing, dance, and play my tambourine and I feel happy again. My papa's dagger, my mama's necklace, handkerchief and her tambourine are the only things left to remind me of Mama and Papa before they… they…" Mrs. Ladybug noticed tears trickling down my eyes and she tenderly put her arms on my shoulders and asked hoping not to upset me more, "Please tell me, what happened?" I looked into her eyes and said, "Before they went to Heaven." Mrs. Ladybug saw how upset I was and said, "I'm sorry dearie. I never wanted to upset you." I took out my handkerchief and dried my eyes and blew my nose and calmed down and said, "Oh no! It's all right. I knew you were wondering about my parents, if they didn't die, I would never have have been there for James and protect him. I love this child as if he were my younger brother. He would brighten my day and I would feel hope in my heart. When we reach New York, I want to stay with him and watch him grow up." Mrs. Ladybug said to me kindly, "I know your mother and father are pleased that you are protecting James." Mrs. Ladybug put her hands on my shoulders and my emerald eyes looked into her kind eyes and said, "Penelope, Mr. Grasshopper told me and the others that we will protect you and James from the aunts. I'll make sure you two are safe and happy."

I smiled at her, "Thank you. My parents never trusted those aunts. One time when Sponge and Spiker visited the Trotters, they called my parents filthy rats. It was such a horrible insult so my parents cursed them that the bad things they do will haunt them. The aunts never took them seriously. Those aunts hate gypsies, they think they're stupid, dirty and evil." I looked at her with my emerald eyes and asked Mrs. Ladybug, "Do you think I'm stupid, dirty and evil?" "Of course not dearie, I believe that you are smart, beautiful, pure, and kind." Said Mrs. Ladybug. "Thank you." I replied.

I felt uneasy about thinking about Sponge and Spiker and I thought of something to get my mind off of them. I turned to Mrs. Ladybug and asked her shyly, "Can I read your palm?" Confused Mrs. Ladybug handed over her right hand and asked, "Why would you want to read my palm, dearie?" I said to her, "It's called palmistry, gypsies read palms and fingers of other people to interpret a person's character or predict their future by looking at the lines and the features of the hand even with the palm and fingers. My parents taught me how to read palms."

"Very Interesting." Said Mrs. Ladybug. "Can you tell my future and my character dearie?" she asked. I replied, "Yes I will, you are my first bug to get her palm read by a gypsy." I took her blue right upper hand, which is her dominant hand and read a line that goes to her thumb. "Let me see… you have a very long life line…" I looked at another line that goes from her middle finger to the left side of her hand. "This one means you are kind, firm, and proper…" I looked at the other line that goes to the right side of her hand, "This line means that you are feisty, brave, pure and very motherly…" I saw her blush a light pink when I said "Motherly" to her. "What about my future?" She asked earnestly. "According to your future…" I said to her looking at her left hand. "We shall get separated and the aunts will come back and try to get me and James and the peach, and then you and the others will come back and hoist the aunts up and punish them and hit them with your purse. In New York, you will become a nurse and give birth to your 1000th baby. You and the other bugs will also become our legal guardians and we'll live in the peach pit in Central Park. You'll have a happy life in New York. You shall be our new aunt to me and James."

Mrs. Ladybug was astonished by palmistry and her future and said in an impressive voice, "I never knew that would happen in my future. Palmistry is very interesting dearie." I looked at Mrs. Ladybug and asked her, "Can you keep a secret?" "Yes I will dearie." Said Mrs. Ladybug. I took her hand and said to her, "Another reason why I want to go to New York City is because I want my freedom." Mrs. Ladybug asked me, "Why would you want freedom? I believe that you are free." I looked down sadly. "Gypsies don't have freedom in Europe. Many are despised, they move around a lot and they are forced to live in junkyards. They are even known for their witchcraft. We do things to help ourselves in our lives. When I go to America I would like to spread my culture to people. I even want to join the New York City Ballet Company and dance." Mrs. Ladybug said, "That is a good wish Penelope, let's join the others and you can tell us more about your culture." "Good idea!" I said smiling and she held out her blue hand and I took it and we walked up and joined the others and I told Mrs. Ladybug and the others more about gypsies as we flew across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City.

Well that wraps up Chapter 3. I don't own "God Help the Outcasts" the song Penelope sang. It's from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." It is a really beautiful song! I hope you enjoy this Chapter. I will have Chapter 4 posted. Seeya!


	4. The Peach Feast

James, Penelope and the Giant Peach

By judygumm

Hi guys! I would love to thank antaurilover685 for posting Chapter 4 of James, Dana and the Giant Peach! It is such a wonderful chapter and story! I hope you all enjoy this! I still do not own "James and the Giant Peach" I still own only Penelope.

Chapter 4: The Peach Feast

Penelope's Point of View:

By around noon, the peach flew up into the sky and we were above the orange yellow colored clouds in the shape of steaming teapots, which is very beautiful. I lie flat on my stomach with my dagger and pouch at my side. I was talking to James and Mr. Grasshopper about our plans when we get to New York. As I relaxed in the sun, I noticed Centipede was standing at the peach stem, and he rubbed his stomach and said, "Want… food. Food." He chewed at the end of his cigar hoping it would stuff him up. It was nasty. I noticed him rubbing his eyes when he saw Mr. Grasshopper as a wine bottle and a piece of cheese. He looked at Earthworm as a hot dog when Earthworm said he's roasted. Centipede shook his head madly and looked up at the seagulls and he thought it looked like roasted chicken and licked his lips. He made sure no one was looking and started to pull down on a string a seagull was on and he was about to bite off the seagull's head when Mrs. Ladybug came up to him and hit his head hard with her purse and yelled, "Unhand that bird!"

Centipede snapped back into reality and the seagull yanked on his nose hard and yelped in pain, "Aah-aah!" I was like, "Ouch!" and smirked and I watch Centipede telling Mrs. Ladybug that he is dying of hunger, Mrs. Ladybug said she might have some soda bread in her purse. Mr. Grasshopper was interested and said "Food?" I turned around and watched Mr. Grasshopper walked up to Centipede and Mrs. Ladybug. Just as Mrs. Ladybug took the soda bread out of her purse, Mr. Grasshopper took the soda bread from Mrs. Ladybug and bit into and said with his mouth full, "I need this food. I have a much higher metabolism." Centipede yelled at Mr. Grasshopper, "Bite me!" As the two started to fight over the soda bread, Mrs. Ladybug yelled to the two bugs, "Have you two gone mad?" I watched Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper trying to get the soda bread until it slipped out of their hands and it toppled down the side.

Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede looked at each other angrily and said at the same time, "Now look what you've done?" They stared to fight and Earthworm cried out that we're going to starve.

I looked over to James and I noticed that he is pressing his hands into the peach and an idea came into his head as he smiled and said, "Nobody's going to starve!"

The fight between Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper stopped and were surprised and didn't know what James was talking about. "Don't you see?" asked James. "We have enough food here for five voyages." He climbed into the hole and the others and I gathered around.

"Food? Where? What are you talkin' about?" asked Centipede. Mr. Grasshopper asked James, "Is there really food?" James appeared with a huge piece of peach and said, "The whole ship is made of food." I grinned as the insects took a small slab of peach and I used my dagger to cut it in half and offered it to Earthworm. I bit into my peach slab and said, "It's fantastic!" "It's delectable. Mmm-mmm!" Said Mr. Grasshopper. Mrs. Ladybug said, "Better than aphids." Before Ms. Spider bit into her peach slice she said, "Mm, better than ladybugs." Mrs. Ladybug turned around shocked and said with exclamation, "What?!" "Excuse" said Ms. Spider. "It's not dirt," Earthworm bit into his slice, "but it's not bad." "Not bad?" Centipede asked skeptically and commented, "It's the best thing I've ever tasted, and I have tasted a lot." We took turns and jumped into the hole and we planned to set up a feast for dinner. Centipede, James and I went to one side of the peach and James and I grabbed another big lump of peach. We slid down the ladder and we leapt onto the lantern Glowworm was in and as we were lowered down, Centipede sang, **"I've eaten many strange and scrumptious dishes in my time. Like chili bugs and curried slugs and earwigs cooked in slime." **

After getting close to the tub, Mr. Grasshopper helped me and James come down, and we watched Centipede still on the lantern took off his cap and turned it into a chef's hat as he sang, **"And mice with rice is very nice when they're roasted in their prime, but don't forget to sprinkle them with just a pinch of grime."**

After sprinkling the peach chunk with the ashes from his cigar like pepper. He spun the peach chunk around like he was making a pot in pottery. He used knives to cut it into pieces and I took two slices and gave one to James and we began to nibble on our slices like mice. We watched Centipede swing around handed Glowworm a slice of peach and sang **"I'm crazy about mosquitoes on a piece of buttered toast and pickled spines of porcupines and then a great big roast and dragon's flesh quite old not fresh, it costs a buck at most."**

Glowworm asked, "Does it come with gravy?"

"**It comes to you in barrels if you order it by post?"** sang Centipede as he swung to Ms. Spider and after handing over her peach slice the looked like a daisy and she slapped him in the face without saying thank you.

We walked around the tub and turned around and bowed and Centipede brought in a large ball of peach and as it rolled down, we quickly turned the tub over before the large ball exploded and we all sang, **"It comes to you in barrels if you order it by post." **As it landed in the tub, some of the peach sloshed on my face and James's face and we both fell back. Mr. Grasshopper took my hand and James's hand and pulled us up to our feet as he sang, **"For dinner on my birthday, shall I tell you what I chose?"** James and I took off our peach slosh and put it back into the tub. Mr. Grasshopper pulled up his pants and stepped into the bucket and sang, **"Hot noodles made of poodles on a slice of garden hose and a rather smelly jelly made of armadillos toes. The jelly is delicious, but you have to hold your nose."**

He started to squish the peach with his feet and Mrs. Ladybug took out some beer glasses from her purse and started to fill them up which looked like root beer with foam bursting at the top she sang, **"I crave the tasty tentacles of octopi for tea. I like hot dogs, but I like hot frogs and surely you'll agree." **She tossed the glasses to us and we caught them and I took a gulp of the drink and it was fabulous. **"A plate of soil with engine oil is a super recipe." **Me, James and Earthworm clanked our glasses together and sang **"Recipe…" **Mrs. Ladybug danced and sang, **"I hardly need to mention that it's practically free."**

We all sang and dance around the peach and I was laughing my head off and we were all having fun. We all sang, **"We hardly need to mention that it's practically free."**

Everyone looked up and saw Centipede carrying another giant slab of peach. He sang, **"Now, come my fellow travelers, the burden of my speech."**

Ms. Spider called to him, "You show off!"

Centipede sang, **"These foods are rare beyond compare and some right out of reach."** He lost balance and we scattered around and the chunk splattered around and we were buried under it, except Ms. Spider because she was in her pipe. She smiled and said "Nice aim, Commodore." He landed near Ms. Spider's pipe as he sang, **"But** **there's no doubt I go without a million plates of each."** Ms. Spider angrily threw her peach beer at him and snapped at him, "Out of my face!"

Centipede sang, **"For one small bite…"** Earthworm, Mrs. Ladybug, and I appeared from the peach mess on the floor and sang, **"One small mite…" **Centipede sang, **"One tiny bite…" **Mr. Grasshopper and James sang,** "Tiny bite of this…"**

Centipede turns the handle and peach liquid spilled out of the peach and caused Ms. Spider to fall into the pile and we all came up with an amusing idea as we sang **"Fantastic… PEACH!"**

We all started to throw peach bits at each other and we all threw them at Centipede and he fell in and we started to throw more peach bits around just like snowball fights and we finished the song with **"This fantastic peach!"**

I was cracking up and having more fun in a very long time. I watched James and he was laughing really hard and I can see that he is having so much fun and joy in his heart.

Point of View in Third Person:

Shortly after cleaning up after their peach feast everyone all went outside and watch the sunset. Penelope asked Mr. Grasshopper, "May I please sing a song and perform it in front of you and the others? It's a gypsy tradition to perform at night." Mr. Grasshopper smiled at Penelope and said, "There's no need to ask for permission, my dear. You can sing if you want to." "Thank you." Said Penelope. "Shall I start?" Penelope asked, Mrs. Ladybug said as she sat down, "Please do Penelope."

Penelope walked in the center and stood up straight. James and the others gathered around in a circle. Penelope took out her tambourine and she imagined the music playing and she started out with, _"La la la la la la laaaahhh! La da da la da la daaa ahhh! La da dahhh la da da ahhh ohhhh!"_ Penelope moved with the beats of the music and took long and graceful steps and sang, _"Oh I love no one. My heart's my own. My heart will always belong to me. A gypsy heart must stay ordained, wide and cold." _She took more steps and hit the tambourine with her right hand and Ms. Spider felt impression and joy in her heart as she watched the gypsy girl sing, _"Ohhhh! Ohhhh! I love no one. My heart's my own. Ohhh! Ohhh! And part in there! Ohhh! Ohhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhhh! Ah Ahhh! Ohhhhh! Ohhh! Ohhh! Ohh! Ohhh Oh! Ohhh! Oh Ohhh!"_ Mr. Grasshopper never saw how much this girl was gifted with a singing voice filled with purity and innocence and possesses great beauty as she danced. They clapped with the beats and she kept dancing and spun and jumped into the air. Penelope moved her hips and shoulders and she used her arms to make movements. Penelope stopped and stretched her back backward and danced and stood up straight. Then she spun around with her skirt twirling and she laughed with joy. The others laughed too and Penelope kicked her legs high and she spun in a circle and did a flip and she made a stand to end her dance with her left hand in the air holding the tambourine and her right arm stretched forward with a smile on her face.

The others and James clapped their hands and it was a standing ovation for Penelope. James clapped harder and walked up to Penelope. "You were amazing Penelope. You danced and sang beautifully." Said James. "Thank you." She replied to James with joy. Mr. Grasshopper walked up to Penelope and put her slender hands into his own and smiled. "You were so much like an angel with a voice of purity, beauty and goodness." "Oh thank you!" Penelope blushed and said to Mr. Grasshopper. Ms. Spider put her gloved hand on Penelope's shoulder with a smile on her white face and said, "I have never felt such joy and happiness in a long time." Penelope smiled back at her, "Thank you Ms. Spider." "Not so bad, I never heard a voice as beautiful as you Penelope." Penelope turned to Earthworm and said "Thank you Earthworm. I'm glad it pleases you." Centipede had a wide grin on his face and he walked up to Penelope and picked her up by the waist and swung her around as she laughed and said, "You were swell Penny!" After putting her down, Penelope grinned at Centipede and said, "Thank you Centipede!" Mrs. Ladybug took Penelope's hand into her blue hand and smiled, "You were wonderful dearie!" "Why thank you Mrs. Ladybug." Penelope replied. "Did I hear someone singing?" Asked Glowworm. "Yes Penelope was the singer Glowworm." Mr. Grasshopper said it to Glowworm. The sun went under the horizon and it turned dark and the stars appeared and everyone decided to turn in for the night. Centipede stayed at the stem to make sure that everyone will reach New York safely. Penelope went to Centipede and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, "Good night Centipede. See you in the morning." Centipede grinned at her and said, "Have some good beauty sleep honey. We're gonna reach New York City tomorrow." "Very good. Let us all get some sleep. We'll need our strength to reach New York City tomorrow." Mr. Grasshopper announced. The others all went down the hole and they all curled up on their beds and fell asleep.

Penelope's Point of View:

As the others were sleeping, only me, James and Ms. Spider were still up. Because Ms. Spider was making the web for me and James to sleep in and as she got the web ready, James and I got our selves ready for bed, I took off my sandals to relieve my bare feet and took off my jewelry and put it in my pouch. I crawled in the middle of the web were James was lying on a leaf and there was rose petal for me to sleep on. I lie down next to James and I pulled a woven blanket over me and we watched Ms. Spider spinning the web. I realized, that Ms. Spider looks so familiar.

"You keep to yourself don't you?" I asked Ms. Spider. She smiled at me and continued to spin her web.

"I preferred to be alone." She said gently.

"We were alone for a long time once." James replied. "I think it's much nicer to have friends, don't you?" asked James.

"I would not know." Ms. Spider replied with honest in her voice.

"They'd be your friends too, the others I mean. If you'd just let them." I replied. Ms. Spider smiled and tucked the woven blanket around my figure and I felt warmth once more in a long time. "No it is in their nature to have fear of me. This I cannot change."

"You're very kind to me and Penelope." James said gently. I knew James was right that Ms. Spider is kind to us like a mother.

"Maybe this is because you two were kind to me first." As she tied James around his waist and wrapped his little frame to keep him warm and as she gently laid James down I realized that she was the same spider we saved from Spiker and Sponge.

"You were the spider in our window!" I exclaimed, my eyes were both wide and so were James. Ms. Spider only smiled, nodded and said smoothly, "Mm-hmm."

James said to Ms. Spider, "You were our first friend! I mean, since me and Penelope went to live with my aunts." James said with a sad tone, "They hated us!"

"Ssshhh!" Ms. Spider soothed us and laid a tender finger on James's lips. "Do not think of them now." She said gently and still smiled and continued her weaving.

I knew James would not get his aunts out of his head. The beatings and the tortures we went through were like scars. I felt worried now.

"But what if they find us?" I asked nervously. "What if we don't make it to New York? We shall die if we have to go back to way we were." James felt unhappy and said gloomily, "They can't make us…"

"No one can make you do anything James and Penelope…" Ms. Spider then clutched my hand and James's hand and finished, "If you do not let them…" She covered James with his coat and said to James, "You are a brave boy…" she placed her hands gently on his face and kissed him on the forehead. She then kissed my forehead and said to me, "And you are a brave girl…" I smiled and she laid me gently back down. "Now to sleep." She told us and she crawled back into her pipe and said, "You two have a tired making day." She blew out the candle and gave James and I one more look and she laid herself down and drifted off to sleep.

James watched the moonbeam shined on his face and he drifted off to sleep. I watched the moon and I saw two stars shining bright. "I know you're looking down on me from Heaven Mama and Papa. I shall keep James under my arm and see that he is safe and happy." I whispered. I made a prayer that we will reach New York City tomorrow and I felt tiredness in my body and I laid myself down and fell into a deep peaceful sleep for the first time in forever.

I dreamt I was walking in a field of flowers and there were a group of gypsies dancing around a bonfire with music playing. I walked up to them and I asked one of them, "May I please join the dance?" A gypsy woman walked up to me and said, "Yes please do." I joined the dance and I was laughing and I had so much fun. All of a sudden, the music stopped and everyone stopped dancing and I saw Sponge and Spiker coming towards me and the other gypsies. The horrible women were holding blazing torches and behind them were a group of terrifying cruel demons! I got so scared I tried to run with the other gypsies and the demons grabbed me and I struggled to get free. They pulled me towards to a post surrounded by firewood. I was tied tight to the post with rope and they got off the pile and I watched Sponge and Spiker coming towards me and they stopped near the post. "Well, well, well, it's the filthy gypsy rat!" Aunt Spiker said as she and Aunt Sponge laughed and Sponge asked, "What will we do with her? Make her a slave?" Spiker turned to me asked, "Will you be a good girl and be our slave?" I got angry and I spat in Spiker's face and Sponge's face. She and Sponge grimaced and both of them wiped the saliva off their faces with their hands and Spiker was about to hit me. But Spiker thought of a better way to torture me. "Why don't we burn her Spongie!" Aunt Spiker said with a sneering grin. "No, have mercy on me!" I cried, "Show pity!" Sponge and Spiker only laughed and after they got off the pile, Spiker said "No! We will see how you love being burned!" She turned to Sponge and said, "Light the fire Spongie." "Ahhh! No! Please don't burn me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as the aunts light the wood with their torches. "Here comes the Rhino!" yelled Sponge. I watched the fire coming towards me and as the smoke was building up, I saw the Rhino coming towards me from the smoke with his dangerous beady eyes glowing as he was staring at me. It was so horrifying! I screamed very loud as a banshee as I was being burned with the fire, "NOOOOOO!"

Point of View in Third Person:

As the others slept peacefully, James was shuddering from his dream. Penelope was tossing and turning, sweat was coming down her face, her fists were clutched tight and she sat up and screamed loud at the top of her lungs, "NOOOOOO!" Her screaming woke up James and the others. James woke up with a jump and rolled forward off the web and landed on the ground on his bottom. Ms. Spider's eyes flew opened wide and she jumped and hit her head on the ceiling in her pipe. "Ouch!" yelled Ms. Spider. Mrs. Ladybug jumped and flew forward landing on her stomach and cried, "Oh!" Mr. Grasshopper woke up and he fell out of his bed and landed on the floor on his side, "Ow!" he cried. Earthworm fell forward and woke up and yelled "Ouch!" Glowworm was still sleeping and Centipede was still at the stem.

Penelope opened her eyes and took shallow breaths and began to cry. Mr. Grasshopper, Ms. Spider, Earthworm and Mrs. Ladybug noticed Penelope's distress and came to her and James. James crawled up on the web and held his tiny hand into Penelope's delicate hand. The insects crawled up on the web and Mr. Grasshopper sat next to Penelope and stroked her long silky hair and asked calmly, "What's the matter child?" Penelope took deep breaths and she looked at the insects and said with a terrified voice and frightened eyes, "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to wake all of you up! You're _really_ not going to punish me for waking all of you up?" The other insects were shocked when the girl asked the question, "Of course not Penelope. We would never punish you or James. It was only a little problem." Said Mr. Grasshopper gently. Ms. Spider came up to Penelope and held her hand and asked softly, "What were you dreaming about?" "We will understand dearie." Said Mrs. Ladybug.

Penelope took deep breaths and looked at the giant insects with her innocent emerald eyes. "At first my dream started out beautiful, I was dancing with the other gypsies in a peaceful field around the bonfire. Then I saw Sponge and Spiker coming towards me and the other gypsies, with an army of demons! I tried to escape but the demons caught me and tied me to a post surrounded by firewood. The aunts asked me to be their slave, but I spat into their faces. Spiker didn't hit me and she thought of a better way of torturing me. Sponge and Spiker lit the fire on the wood that was surrounding me and burned me at the stake!" Ms. Spider, Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm were shocked when Penelope said that she was burned at the stake in her dream and their faces turned white. "And worse of all, I saw the Rhino!" Penelope broke down in tears and buried her face into Mr. Grasshopper's chest. Mr. Grasshopper hugged Penelope close and made shushing sounds to soothe her as he wrapped his four arms around her and stroked her long black hair. "Don't worry Penelope. The others and I promise that those aunts will never hurt you and James again." Said Mr. Grasshopper. Earthworm thought of wrapping his long body around the two aunts and he would love to squeeze the breath out of them to see if they choked to death for hurting James and Penelope.

Penelope looked up and said, "It looked so real." "It was only a nightmare, dearie. I used to get them when I was around your age. They will go away." Said Mrs. Ladybug gently.

James spoke up, "I had a nightmare about my aunts too." Ms. Spider took James's hand tenderly and asked gently, "What was it?"

James took deep breaths and said, "In my dream, I was a caterpillar and I was eating a peach and I was enjoying it. Then I heard a sound and I saw a car driving on the bridge and Sponge and Spiker appeared and I ran and try to hide. But Sponge set off some dark smoke from the spray they use to kill insects. I hid myself in a can and the smoke came neared me and I saw the Rhino too. It was so dreadful." Tears started to dribble from his cheeks. Penelope hugged James and took out her handkerchief and dried James's cheeks and came up with a solution. "I think I have something that will get rid of nightmares." Penelope grabbed her pouch and she pulled out two amethyst points and she gave one to James. "What are these beautiful stones Penelope?" asked Ms. Spider. "They're called amethyst points, they relieve headaches and prevent nightmares. They should help us sleep." Penelope put the amethyst points on the sticky web so they can stay under the leaves.

As Penelope lay herself down Mr. Grasshopper tucked the blanket around Penelope and leaned forward and kissed Penelope on the forehead and he kissed James on the forehead and held their hands. "Good night children. Just don't be afraid. We will always be there for you two." "Good night Mrs. Ladybug, good night Earthworm, good night Ms. Spider and good night Mr. Grasshopper." Said James as he fell asleep. "Thank you for the comfort, all of you are so good and kind to me and James. Sweet dreams." Said Penelope. The other bugs said good night to Penelope and they crawled back into their beds. Penelope was so relieved from the comfort from the others that she fell back into a peaceful sleep.

After remembering James's nightmare from the movie, I thought of seeing Penelope having a nightmare about Sponge and Spiker burning her. The burn at the stake dream was inspired by the scene from the Disney version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" the part where Frollo was about to burn Esmeralda at the stake. The dance scene for Penelope and the song came from the 1956 version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" which I do not own. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 5 will be up ASAP.


	5. Fighting for the Compass

James, Penelope and the Giant Peach

By judygumm

I decided to write on and maybe give antaurilover685 inspiration.

Chapter 5: Fighting for the Compass

Penelope's Point of view:

The next morning, I woke up and rubbed my eyes and I felt very cold. I noticed snow was coming down. I turned around and I saw James waking up and he sat up freezing. He put his coat on to stay warm and I put my jewelry and sandals on. I put my dagger back on the side of my waist. I looked up at the lantern and I saw Glowworm shivering. I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders to keep warm. James and I climbed out of the hole to see where we are. We were both shocked to see that we were not in New York City. We were in the Arctic and we saw icebergs, a graveyard of sunken pirate ships that were broken and the wood was rotting away. We saw the pieces of cracked ice in the water and we looked up and saw the seagulls still flying with their bodies and wings frozen almost like frozen statues.

"This is an outrage!" James and I were startled by the shouting which reminded me of Spiker and Sponge yelling at us. The voice was none other than Mr. Grasshopper. We looked over and we saw Mr. Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug, and Earthworm cornering Centipede on the fence pathway. Mr. Grasshopper shouted to Centipede in a way to scold a person, "You are a disgrace to your phylum, class, order, genus, and species!" "Say it in English!" Centipede shot back at Mr. Grasshopper. "You, sir, are an ass!" Mr. Grasshopper shouted back at Centipede.

"Where are we?" asked James. "What's going on?" I asked the others. Mr. Grasshopper turned to us and he kept his voice firm and gentle to us and said, "I found this dime-store timmy asleep at the helm."

He turned to Centipede and snapped at him, "Now we're lost!" "We are not lost!" Centipede shotted back, "Then where are we?" asked Mr. Grasshopper impatiently. "Somewhere north, or possibly very, very far south." replied Centipede. "What's your latitude? What's your longitude?" He asked Centipede impatiently. "Hey, hey, hey! That's personal, bub." Centipede shot back.

"You said you could navigate!" Said Mr. Grasshopper sharply. "You said you traveled the world." Said Mrs. Ladybug. "You said you'd been to Bora Bora!" Said Earthworm. "Well, not Bora Bora, per se, uh—" Centipede trailed off as he backed up from Mr Grasshopper, Mrs. Ladybug, and Earthworm.

Ms. Spider appeared and asked "What about the shores of Tripoli?" "Did I say Tripoli?" asked Centipede and he chuckled and said "I meant the Halls of Montezuma."

"That's what you said." Said Earthworm angrily. "Never have I heard such mendacity!" shouted Mr. Grasshopper, who is getting more angry. "Charlatan!" shouted Mrs. Ladybug. "Wait!" shouted James and he tried to reason with Centipede. "If he says he's seen the world, then he's seen the world. Right, Mr. Centipede?" "Right?" I asked firmly. "Well… I did used to live between two pages of a National Geographic." "Huh?" Asked James. "What?" I asked.

Everyone gasped and learned that Centipede lied to us about traveling around the world and Centipede said, "Very informative magazine, National Geographic. Wonderful pictures." This made Mr. Grasshopper so angry he yelled at Centipede as he lost his temper, "You incompetent, blithering nitwit!" Centipede put down his cigar and got himself ready to fight Mr. Grasshopper. "All right hoppy! Them's fightin' words. Put 'em up! Put 'em up! Come on!" Centipede yelled and made punching moves and said with encouragement, "Gimme your best shot." Then all of a sudden, Mr. Grasshopper kicked Centipede hard in the jaw with his left leg. I was like "Ow!" Centipede fell back and said while rubbing his cheek, "Whoa. Good shot." He spit out a lose tooth and said to me and James. "Did you see what he did to me?" "Hmph! Serves ya right." Said Mrs. Ladybug sternly as she, Mr. Grasshopper, and Earthworm turned around without helping Centipede up. As they walked up, James asked "What do we do now?" "Which way do we go?" I asked. "Oh it's very simple, really." Said Mr. Grasshopper. "All we need to do is to determine our coordinates, then use triangulation to chart a direct route to New York."

"Then there's hope." Said Earthworm. "Don't be ridiculous." Said Mr. Grasshopper as he poked Earthworm in the nose and finished his sentence, "There's no hope at all! We don't have a compass." "We'll never reached New York." Said Earthworm sadly. "We're gonna be stuck here forever. We're gonna be frozen like living statues." "_Dead _living statues." Said Mr. Grasshopper. "No dark hiding places." Said Ms. Spider sadly. "No cozy leaf in the park." Replied Mrs. Ladybug with sadness in her voice. "No city where dreams come true." Said James sadly. "No freedom, hope, art and a new life." I said as tears were rolling down my cheeks and I took out my handkerchief and dried my eyes and I heard James asking, "Don't ships have compasses?" "No doubt. But to brave those icy waters…" Said Mr. Grasshopper and finished, "Would mean certain death. Only a fool would do it."

I walked over to the side to comfort Centipede and I saw him put his cap on his head and his cigar in his mouth and he turned around and dove off the pathway fence and yelled "Geronimo!" As I saw Centipede landed in the water. The others heard the splash and came over to where I was standing. "What? What was that?" cried Earthworm. "The Centipede jumped in!" I cried. The others gasped in shock, "Good heavens!" Cried Mr. Grasshopper. "He's committed pesticide." He leaned forward sadly and said as he blamed himself for what he did with Centipede. "Oh, this is all my doing." "Don't take all the credit." Said Earthworm and blamed himself too and said, "I helped too." "I have to go after him!" said James with determination. But Mrs. Ladybug put her hand on James's shoulder and warned him, "Not on your life. You'll catch your death in cold." "But he's my friend." Said James and I knew he was advocating for himself. "James is right." Agreed Ms. Spider. "Centipede is one of us. Get on my back. I'm going with you." As James climbed on Ms. Spider's back, I said, "I'm coming with you too." I took the blanket off and gave it to Mrs. Ladybug and I climbed on Ms. Spider's back and I sat behind James. "You had better take good care of them." Said Mrs. Ladybug. "This I promise." Said Ms. Spider. I helped James with the string from Ms. Spider and as we tossed it to Mrs. Ladybug and the others, they started to tie the string up to the stem, James said, "Stay by the line, and when you feel two tugs, pull us up." Ms. Spider jumped off the peach and we were lowered into the water.

Once me, James, and Ms. Spider were in the water, we could see and breathe underwater and I have a feeling that it was the crocodile tongues that helped us breathe underwater. Ms. Spider swam deeper into the water, and James and I looked around and we saw a figurehead that looks exactly like Spiker and Sponge. We kept swimming and a thought came into my head. "I think Centipede must have dove in to look for a compass. With all those sunken ships. I remember that pirates use compasses to help navigate in seas." I said to James and Ms. Spider. "You could be right Penelope." Said James. "Let's keep going and find Centipede." Said Ms. Spider. We swam down into the deep water.

Centipede's Point of View:

As I reached the sunken pirate, I walked on the deck and whistled a tune as I opened the door that goes into the captain's cabin and I saw a dead skeleton pirate captain sitting at his desk and I was astonished and said, "A skellington?"

I tip toed up to the desk slowly and when I reached it I noticed the dead captain was leaning over an object, I took out my cigar and blew on top of the desk and it showed a glowing object that had an arrow pointing north, "Jackpot! A genuine compass!" I exclaimed with a smile.

I put the cigar back in my mouth and I lifted the captain's arm and it made a squeaking sound as if he were rusted and lifted his head and said, "Sounds like you need a little oil, Captain."

After I took the compass, the captain fell forward as if he fell asleep. I lifted my arm like a soldier and said, "Thank you, sir! I'll be shovin' off now." As I walked away carrying the compass and smiling, I hope that Hoppy and the others would feel sorry for themselves for what they did to me and apologize.

I thought I was getting somewhere but I felt that something was pulling back on my suspenders and I looked back and I saw the skellington pirate captain and he's alive! He was growling and holding on to my suspenders tightly.

"Ahh! I should've worn a belt!" I scolded myself and I ran out of the door hoping to escape and as I got there, dead ghost skeleton pirates appeared and I screamed "Holy shipwreck!" I was pulled back into the creepy arms of the captain and he smiled evilly planning to do something bad.

Penelope's Point of View:

As we swam down into the sea, we spotted a pirate ship. "I'll bet Centipede's there." I said with my heart. "Let's find him." Said James. Ms. Spider swam to the crow's nest and after landing, James and I got down from Ms. Spider's back and as Ms. Spider tied the string to a pole. James and I looked over on the side of the crow's nest, we saw Centipede being stretched over the platform by ghost pirates with a compass on his stomach and he was screaming in pain.

Ms. Spider came to us to see what was happening and we looked at each other and gasped. We watched him and say to the pirates that he's got a long history of back problems. The captain took the compass off of Centipede's stomach. The pirates kept stretching him longer and we could hear his bones cracking and said smiling, "Hey, that one felt pretty good."

Then another gigantic skeleton viking walked up and carried an axe and as he growled, Centipede said, "It's Paul Bunyan coming to cut me some slack." The pirate raised his axe above his head and I realized he was going to kill Centipede "Whoa! Hey, pal, you're aimin' a little low." Said Centipede calmly. Then he screamed, "He's gonna cut me in half!"

I looked at James with terrified eyes and I saw him jump off the crow's nest and landed on the viking skeleton's back and he fell forward and went overboard off the ship.

Ms. Spider and I jumped off the mast at the same time and she called out, "Hey, sailors! Looking for some kicks?" She landed on the winch and kicked the pirates in the heads with her legs. I landed down on my feet and I grabbed my dagger and I used it to slash some pirates and I kicked a skeleton pirate and yelled, "HI-YAAA!". After the winches loosened Centipede, he fell down into the platform and called out, "Cut me loose."

James and I went to the side and tried to pull out the axe and as I helped him we did not see the pirate captain coming towards us. After we pulled the axe out, it hit the captain and his head fell off and he grabbed the rope and pulled it up hauling Centipede and he called to us, "Get the compass!"

As the captain was looking for his head, the compass was rolling over to the side of the ship and before it fell Ms. Spider caught it just in time, "Have got it." She called to us. "Way to Ms. Spider, let's go!" I called to her.

Out of the blue, an eskimo skeleton appeared with a spear and yelled, "Ubutu!" Ms. Spider turned around and saw the eskimo skeleton coming towards her. She jumped high and the eskimo skeleton fell forward with his spear sticking in the floor as Ms. Spider came down, he let go of the spear and Ms. Spider went spinning forward and yelled, "Whoa-oo!" One of the skeleton pirates grabbed his friend's hands and used them to grab the compass out of Ms. Spider's hands.

Just as the captain put his head back on, Ms. Spider crashed into him and his head flew back into the pirate's hands knocking out the compass.

James caught the compass and yelled, "Gotcha!" Then a skeleton parrot flew and grabbed the compass. I ran over to James and helped him pull the compass from the skeleton parrot but he flew away with it. Then all of a sudden Centipede was swinging on a rope and crashed into the parrot and yelled, "Polly want a smacker?" The parrot crashed into the wall with his beak stuck. Centipede grabbed the compass and me around the waist and we both swung up to the crow's nest.

He called out to Ms. Spider and James, "Look out!" The pirate attacked James and Ms. Spider and Ms. Spider kicked the pirate with her leg and I watched them crawl up the ladder to the crow's nest.

As Centipede helped James and Ms. Spider into the crow's nest, he told a joke about skeleton's as he untied the string, "I got a good one for ya. Why don't skeletons play music in church?" We watched the pirates climbing up and I felt so scared, I held on to James tighter. Centipede got on top of Ms. Spider and finished his joke with, " 'Cause they got no organs!" He laughed and pulled the string two times with the sound of a bell ringing. Ms. Spider grabbed me and James who was holding on to the compass and we were yanked up.

Then the pirate captain jumped up and was about to stab James with his sword. Centipede was in between James and the captain and he and the captain fell into the crow's nest. We watched him fight the other pirates and we all cried out at the same time, "Noooo!"

We were hoisted out of the water, and we were all shivering. "Oh, thank goodness! You're all right!" Mrs. Ladybug called to us with relief.

"What happened to Centipede?" Asked Mr. Grasshopper as we reached the fence pathway. "He found a compass for us." Said Ms. Spider. "And a shipload of pirates!" Cried James. "Skeleton pirates to be exact!" I cried out. As James and I got off of Ms. Spider, Ms. Spider shoved the compass into Earthworm's mouth and said, "Hold this. I am going back." Mrs. Ladybug wrapped blankets around me and James. "Do be careful, Ms. Spider." Said Mr. Grasshopper.

We watched Ms. Spider landing on the ice and just as she was about to dive in, Centipede's cap resurfaced. Ms. Spider took the cap and turned to us as a tear fell down her eyes. It was shocking to me and the others. It turned out Centipede is dead.

"Poor Centipede..." Said Mr. Grasshopper sadly as he knelt down in sorrow, "He saved our lives down there." Said James. "We can all forgive him for what he did." I said sadly.

Our mourning was cut short when we saw the pirate's hat resurfacing with a sword, "Look out!" Cried James. "Ms. Spider!" Cried Mrs. Ladybug as she warned Ms. Spider.

Ms. Spider gasped and backed away. It turned out that it was Centipede dressed as a general! James called out, "Centipede!" He was alive! I felt relief in my heart. "How am I lookin' kids?" he asked us grinning. "You look very handsome!" I called to him with a smile on my face.

Ms. Spider walked up to him angrily and said as she pressed the sword against Centipede throat and said angrily "Centipede, I do not know whether to kill you or…" she put the sword down and kissed Centipede on the cheek and said smiling, "Kiss you." I giggled as Centipede blushed.

After pulling Centipede and Ms. Spider to the fence pathway, Mr. Grasshopper apologize to Centipede and said, "I'm so sorry." "Hey, I'm sorry" Said Centipede. "My sincere apologies." Said Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede said, "I just wanna apologize." Mr. Grasshopper replied "I just wanted to say—" Centipede interrupted him, "What I'm tryin' to say—"

"That's enough chitchat!" Earthworm interrupted and he had the pirate's hat on his head and said, "I'm freezin'!" I walked up to James and he placed the compass on the stem and called to us, "Hello? The compass is ready!" "Oh wonderful! Let's leave this frozen graveyard and head to New York City!" I said to James with excitement.

I looked over to the side where the insects are and I saw Mr. Grasshopper bowed to Centipede and asked with courtesy, "Mr. Centipede, would you please do us the honor of navigating us out of this icebox?" Centipede said, "It would be my pleasure." As he, Mr. Grasshopper, and Earthworm walked up the fence pathway. I saw Mrs. Ladybug took out another blanket and she threw the blanket on Ms. Spider's back and said kindly, "I admire your bravery, Ms. Spider. I really do." Ms. Spider turned to her and said with a smile, "Why… thank you, Mrs. Ladybug."

I turned to the other side and I saw James, Centipede, Mr. Grasshopper and Earthworm gathering around the peach stem and Centipede said, "All right, boys, coffee break's over." He leaped onto the stem and grabbed the strings the seagulls were on and as he shook the strings, the ice came off of the seagulls and they flew better.

As Centipede turned the stem to the direction west Mr. Grasshopper said to him happily, "I'm looking forward to a hopping good time… in the Big Apple Mr. Centipede."

"You said it, Mr. Grasshopper." Said Centipede.

So we flew out of the Arctic and everything started to warm up around in our surroundings and we flew into the sky to the city where dreams come true. The others and I were looking forward to New York City.

That's the end of Chapter 5, Chapter 6 will be next.


	6. A Journey Filled with Hope

James, Penelope and the Giant Peach

By judygumm

Chapter 6: A Journey Filled with Hope

I added a story about Penelope having a conversation with Mr. Grasshopper and Centipede.

Penelope's point of view:

As soon as we left the Arctic, everything started to get warmer and I took off the blanket and I felt the breeze blowing into my long raven hair and it was around noon and I turned to Centipede who is still at the stem with the compass.

I walked up to him and said, "Centipede, I believe that the others and I forgive you for what you did, you did the right thing to risk your life to find a compass and saved me, James, and Miss Spider down there in the ocean. Thank you for grabbing me and saving my life from those skeleton pirates. Although you did scared us to death when you jumped in the ocean. You could gotten yourself killed down there."

Centipede turned to me and said, "It's no problem Penny, I had to do what was right. But I won't do it again." "So what do you want do when you get to New York City?" I asked Centipede in order to keep the conversation going.

"Well, I was thinkin' about becomin' the mayor of New York City." Said Centipede. His blue eyes filled with curiosity looked into my green eyes and asked, "Can I ask ya a question?"

"Yes, Centipede please do."

"How are ya able ta get green eyes Penny? I never saw a gypsy inherent green eyes, no offense."

"Well, it is rare for a gypsy to inherent green eyes, I believe that my ancestors did have green eyes. Green eyes can make a gypsy special." I said. "People with green eyes can see things clearer at night. I think there was something that I want to do when I go to New York."

"Do tell me little bird." Said Centipede.

"Since I want to join the New York City Ballet Company, I even want to become a movie actress and a singer." I said to Centipede.

"I think you'd make a great movie actress." Said Centipede.

"Thanks, I have a dream role in a movie."

"What is it?" Asked Centipede.

"Esmeralda in _The Hunchback of Notre Dame, _I have read the book and saw the movie with Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda. I noticed you are bored and I was wondering if I can dance to keep you entertained."

"Sure Penny, I could use some entertainment." Said Centipede.

I took out my tambourine and I imagined the gypsy man playing a flute and I followed the beats and the music and I moved around and shook my tambourine. I jumped and pranced like a deer and moved my arms. I did a front split and Centipede's eyes widen at my splits.

I got up and I spun around and stopped and my arms flew up with my tambourine and smiled.

Mr. Grasshopper appeared out of the hole and clapped and he looked very impressed with my dancing and my playing.

"That was very impressive Lady Penelope. You do know how to entertain people." Said Mr. Grasshopper.

I smiled and said, "Oh thank you Mr. Grasshopper."

I sat down next to Mr. Grasshopper on the flesh of the peach and I felt the sun shining on my olive skin. He turned to me and wrapped an arm around me asked me a question, "So Penelope, do you feel better now that we are out of the Arctic?"

I turned to him and replied, "Oh yes, I feel better now. Although I still can't shake the feeling about that nightmare last night about Spiker and Sponge burning me." I trembled at the thought of what happened last night.

"What happened Penny?" Asked Centipede with his blue eyes filled with concerned. He sat next to me and took my hand. I turned to him and said, "I had a nightmare last night about those aunts burning me at the stake."

Centipede's face turned pale and said in shock, "They burned ya at the stake?"

"Yes, it was horrible, I was dancing with other gypsies and those aunts appeared with demons and I tried to get away and the demons caught me and tied me to a stake and the aunts asked me to be their slave and I spit into their faces as a sign of no."

"You spit into their faces?" Asked Centipede. "Yes, I did. Only it made it worse. Sponge and Spiker lit the wood around me and the Rhino appeared from the smoke and I screamed no. Then I woke up screaming and Mr. Grasshopper, Miss Spider, Mrs. Ladybug and Earthworm woke up startled." I turned to Mr. Grasshopper.

"Really?" Asked Centipede.

"Yes, Centipede we did woke up and it was some way to wake up people if a someone has a nightmare. We comforted her and James, and told them that we will protect them." Said Mr. Grasshopper. He turned to me and asked, "How could someone as cruel as Spiker and Sponge raise someone like you?"

"Those women hate gypsies and they insulted my parents one time when they visited the Trotters and my parents cursed them. They think that gypsies are filthy impure rats and believe that gypsies should be wiped out and put to death. But they are wrong, gypsies are innocent people, they just want to find a home and make a living. Those women must be punished. James's parents were kind enough to let them stay. Mr. and Mrs. Trotter are very accepting people with kind hearts and they treated me and my parents with kindness and respect."

I reached for my pouch and I took out a folded picture. After I unfolded it, it was a picture of me, my mother and father sitting in front on the edge of the caravan and we were all smiling.

Mama's real name was Charity, She is beautiful and slender with an hourglass figure and she has olive skin with brown eyes, and long black hair in a braid and she is wearing a teal bodice with a white shirt underneath, a long flowing blue skirt, black flats on her feet. She had a blue head bandana on her head, silver hoop earrings, the necklace she gave to me, silver bracelets, a silver anklet on her right foot, and the ring she gave me.

My father, Aladdin was a very handsome man. He has medium skin with short black hair, a rectangular face and a mustache, with green eyes. He is dressed in a green coat, tan pants with a black belt, black boots, and he has one golden hoop earring in his left ear. In his right hand was the dagger he gave me before he died.

I sat in the middle on the step, I was a little girl around seven years old dressed in a white blouse with a loose pink coat, a light blue skirt and I was barefoot. My father's arm was over my shoulder and we looked happy in the picture.

"Ain't these your folks?" Asked Centipede as he looked at the picture.

"Yes, Centipede, these are my parents. When I was 11, Papa caught a disease called smallpox and died within 5 days, then Mama died a week later of smallpox too. After the funeral, I lived with Mr. and Mrs. Trotter as their new daughter. It took two months for me to move on with my life as I was brought in to a new family." I said with my eyes watering up and I wiped them away. "But I remembered what my father always says, Do not fear your opponent's size. Use it against him, then his strength will become yours. And Mama always said to me, Believe in hope, and things will get better."

"You did had loving parents and they did love you, no matter what your race is." Said Mr. Grasshopper.

"Well, sweetie, it looks like ya got us on your side." Said Centipede as he put an arm around me.

As I looked at him, I could see that inside of Centipede is a kind, loving, warm, and an understanding insect. His hand stroked my back and said, "No worries Penny, we'll find a way to punish them hags."

I smiled him and said, "Thank you Centipede, I know that those aunts will be punished and hated by every person in New York. I must let go of them and not think about them."

Centipede hugged me and I rested my head against his chest and as he stroked my hair, I could smell his cigar scented breath. As I looked at his blue eyes with my green eyes, he said to me, "Don't worry Penny, we'll make it to New York."

I smiled at him and said, "Thank you Centipede, me, James and the others trust you now."

"I knew you would." Said Centipede. "You'll have to excuse me honey, I gotta get back to directions." Centipede got back to the stem and made sure the direction is pointed west.

"Okay Centipede, I know we'll get there." I said and I placed the picture in my pouch and I stood up and turned to Mr. Grasshopper and said to him, "I'm going to check on James to see if he's all right."

"All right, Penelope, you're doing a good job of keeping him safe." Said Mr. Grasshopper as he smiled at me and I smiled back at him and said, "Thank you Mr. Grasshopper."

I walked down the fence pathway and I saw James sitting on the fence pathway and he was looking into the brochure and I spoke, "Hi James, how are you?"

James was startled and when he turned to me, he realized it was only me and he was filled with relief. I sat next to him and looked into the map, I saw that there was a big loop in a circle in the Atlantic Ocean and we were halfway to North America.

"Hi Penelope I'm good. How about you?"

"I'm good, thank you James."

"I'm worried about Sponge and Spiker arriving at New York City and they'll try to take us and the peach back to England." Said James.

I wrapped my arms around James and let his head rest on my bosom, "They may or may not come, if they do, we'll reveal the truth to every single person in New York City." I said as I stroked James's hair. "No matter what happens, we'll always be there for each other."

I felt my heart filled with hope.

Chapter 7 is coming up.


End file.
